King of the Sharks
by AnnualTrilogy
Summary: After the Winter War, Ichigo finds a wounded Arrancar, because of his protective instincts he helps her recover. What exactly will happen between the two? Also, What will happen when Soul Society decide to send some of their finest down for a mission to Karakura Town? Rated T for the time being, may become M in the future. IchigoXHalibel
1. Beginnings

Hey everyone, first attempt at writing a fanfic hopefully i'm able to do it right. This story will feature an overpowered Ichigo, because of the fact that Ichigo managed to take down Aizen before he could Transcend any further. (A/N I will not be using San, Kun, Sama or anything along those lines in this story, mainly because the names just come easier to me.) **Warning: almost all characters might tend to be a little OOC'ish.**

_Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Bleach if i did, Tia wouldn't have died._

Speech: "Sup?"

Thoughts: 'hmmm'

Zampakuto: '_**hello'**_

Hollow/Hichigo: **"King"**

xXx

_**Battle With Aizen**_

'It's finally over...' This was Ichigo's last thought before he completely collapsed of exhaustion from using all of the reaitsu he could manage into the Gestuga Tensho that managed to cleave straight through the middle of Aizen's body.

xXx

_**Urahara's Shop**_

The first thing Ichigo felt after finally awakening from being asleep for several days was the force of Orihime's hug, it felt as Ulquiorra had just punched him straight in the ribs the worst part of it was that as much as he wanted to he couldn't fight back as he was still exhausted from his previous battle with Aizen. " Ichigo thank god you're okay!, after you collapsed i thought that your body quit out on you" Orihime said with tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Heh thanks.." Ichigo tried to muster out because of the fact that he was still being squeezed tightly by Orihime's hug, she soon caught on to why he sounded like that then she realized and reluctantly let go of Ichigo. Looking around the room Ichigo could tell that he was sitting in one of the rooms in the Urahara Shoten ' Just how large is this place?' Ichigo wondered to himself.

Commotion could be heard from the outside of the room, from the sounds to appeared to be Renji and Rukia arguing about who got to go in next and from the sounds of it Rukia was winning this commotion went on for another minute or so then everything went quiet except for knock of the door. "Come in" Ichigo stated obviously not caring about who else would greet him, and sure enough Rukia was the first ot walk through the door followed closely by Renji, Uryu, and Chad.

Renji started off the conversation in his usual way " Yo Ichigo!" followed by Rukia yelling at him saying that Ichigo still needed rest, Uryu was acting smug as always while Chad just stood there greeting Ichigo with an "Oomph"

Conversation started to pick up and before they knew it hours had passed and it was starting to get late. Renji and Rukia were summoned back to Soul Society to return to there normal duty's while everyone else went on their separate way's.

" Ahhh Kurosaki, it seems that you're fighting fit i assume?" Urahara chuckled from behind his annoying little fan.

" Yeh, i guess so... my reaitsu seems to be slowly build itself back to normal" Replied Ichigo.

" So it seems, anyway i better not keep you here any longer, your sisters are sure to be missing you." Said Urahara with his trademark creepy smile painted across his face. " Yeah whatever, i'll be on my way then." Replied Ichigo and with that he was on his way.

xXx

_**Kurosaki Household**_

Taking place in front of the door then moving a little to the left, Ichigo swung the door open. " ICCCCCHHHHHHIIIIIIGGGGGGOOOO OOOOOO!" Screamed Isshin as he went flying past Ichigo and onto the ground face first from his failed attempt at a jump kick. at this point of time only one thought was running through Ichigo's mind 'Idiot', '_**That he is but do not forget that he is still your Father and also an Ex Shinigami Captain.' Added Zangetsu **_' I guess your right, the old man can do with some respect, i just wish he didn't act like such a goofball all the time' Replied Ichigo.

As he slowly made his way to his room there were two familiar lumps curled up tightly on the couch looking closely Ichigo could identify them as none other than his sisters _Karin _and _Yuzu, after planting a soft kiss on both of there forehead's ' They were probably up all night waiting for my return home... guess i should try make it up to them in the morning'_

After this quick though Ichigo truly realized how tired he actually was.

Slouching over and collapsing on his bed, Ichigo was about to drift off into a well needed sleep when something he honestly didn't expect to happen occurred " HOLLOW HOLLOW HOLLOW!" The little tiny Combat Pass flashed.

"Of course..." Ichigo sighed before grasping the pass in his hand and pressing it against his chest to allow his soul form to come out.

After a couple of minutes at attempting to track down the Hollow's reiatsu which appeared to be Adjuchas class, realizing that someone could be in danger he flashed stepped as fast as he could, arriving at the destination in no time whatsoever. Ichigo was also right with his concern as the Hollow appeared to be hunched over a soul he was ready to devour.

Not letting a single thought pass his mind, Ichigo acted purely on Instincts and cleaved the Adjuchas diagonally across it's torso killing it instantly.

Ichigo quickly rushed over towards a lifeless body which appeared to be a woman covered in scratches and sword wounds, the one that was easily noticed was the deep gash across her torso, recognizing the remaining reiatsu within the wound one thing was for certain '_Aizen did this' letting _his anger subside he took a closer look at the body, and it appeared she was an Arrancar, that much was certain but why had Aizen cut her down?

She was in bad shape and currently unconscious, Ichigo knew he couldn't kill someone that was so defenseless even if they were the enemy. If Ichigo didn't do something fast She would surely die that night from bloodloss. Ichigo did the only thing he knew he could do in a situation like this. He applied a weak Healing Kido and pumped a lot of his reiatsu into it, that was sure to do the trick.

A lot of thoughts were currently running through Ichigo's the main ones were 'What should i do with her?' 'Is she still threat to soul society?' Ichigo spent so much time lingering on these thoughts he almost didn't hear the faint whisper escape from her mouth...

"Tia.. Harribel, Tercera Espada" And with that she fell into a slumber.

xXxXxXx

_This is my first chapter hopefully i managed to do something right throughout it, if anyone is wondering why i didn't really involve the other characters as much is because they don't really have much of a place in this story as i plan to have it focus on Tia and Ichigo not to mention a Jealous Orihime._

_All advice is welcome, i don't care if it's constructive criticism, any and all help would be deeply appreciated. Seeing as this was the first chapter of my first story it was almost guaranteed to be short, i plan on making other chapters a lot longer than this._

_WARNING Future chapters may contain fluff and a lot of awkward situations, make sure your body is ready._

_~AT_


	2. Welcome

Okay, so here goes the 2nd Chapter of KoTS, hopefully i can live up to expectations and entertain someone at the very least. **(A/N Throughout this story i might chop and change between Harribel and Halibel, it kinda depends on personal preference and whether it suits the situation or not)**

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Bleach, ask me again in the future._

Speech: "Sup?"

Thoughts: 'hmmm'

Zampakuto: '_**hello'**_

Hollow/Hichigo: **"King"**

xXx

**Karakura Town**

_(Halibel's POV)_

_Darkness_

_Sorrow_

_Pain_

These thoughts rushed through my head at an alarming rate, after being cut down by Aizen i plummeted down to the streets of Fake Karakura Town.

'Why did he do it?, more importantly why am i still alive?' Tia winced in pain as she let her hand follow the deep gash across her stomach. In her best attempt to stop the blood loss she covered the wound with as much pressure as she could in her weakened state.

She slowly slipped into consciousness, letting the darkness consume her.

Slowly awakening from what felt like an eternal slumber from the sound of a low growl, 'This is bad news...' thought Tia 'A stray hollow must have caught on to my fading reiatsu'

Just as i was about to accept my fate that i would die i by the hands of this beast, the unexpected happened the Hollow collapsed and began disintegrating, the next thought was of the overwhelming spiritual pressure emanating from whatever had killed that Hollow. This pressure soon turned out to be too much as Halibel fainted from the sheer size of it.

This rest was short lived as she could feel the pain slowly lifting from her lifeless body, even if very slightly it made her feel warm on the inside a feeling she hasn't felt for years.

Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing within her sight was scraggy and slightly long bright orange hair **(A/N Ichigo hasn't had his hair cut yet) **

'Why is he helping me? I'm an Arrancar so, why didn't he kill me on sight? more importantly why is he healing me?' These were the thoughts rolling through the dark skinned goddesses head.

Knowing she should at least try and make herself known she decided to inform him of her name and ranking, even doing this was a struggle as no words seemed to escape from her mouth finally she could summon the strength to speak "Tia.. Harribel, Tercera Espada" She managed to blurt out before sleep consumed her yet again

xXx

_(Normal/Ichigo's POV)_

'Third?! i guess i should get her to safety, but where could i take her? Everyone else is probably asleep so i shouldn't bother them...' Ichigo thought while he pondered the ideas of what he should do next " I got it! Hat n' Clogs is sure to be up at this time, even better is that he owes me a favor"

Doing his best Ichigo picked up the body of the currently sleeping Espada careful not to wake her, and he began flash steeping his way to Urahara's Shop.

xXx

**Urahara's Shop**

After reaching the front door of Urahara's Shop, Ichigo quickly let himself in through the front door making sure to carefully to place Halibel down on the sofa still careful to not wake her from her slumber 'Woahh she looks beautifu..' Ichigo was interrupted by the shouting of Hichigo **Don't cha just want to have your way with her?" Interrupted Hichigo**, 'Shut up' Ichigo replied in an uncaring tone obviously to inform Hichigo that he didn't want to hear a single word from him at the being.

"My my Kurosaki what do we have here?" Urahara said interrupting Ichigo's thoughts.

"Her name is Tia Harribel she's the Trescera Arrancar, and by the looks of her wounds Aizen cut her down" Ichigo replied as it was the most obvious thing in the universe

"Now what exactly were you expecting to do with her? She cannot return to Hueco Mundo for now as it is currently overrun with Shinigami and she also appears that she needs a lot of time let her reiatsu return to average levels"

"To be honest i really don't know" Replied Ichigo Truthfully "Do you think you can sort out a Gigai for her while she recovers?"

"I'm sure that could be arranged" Said Urahara behind a smile that could rival one Gin's. "Just make sure that's she okay with it, I'll go work on the Gigai it should take an hour or so" Said Urahara as he made his way to his workshop.

"Thanks Urahara" Replied Ichigo in what sounded like a happy tone, something very rarely heard from the Orange haired teenager.

xXx

Ichigo slowly made his way over to the sleeping goddess, the same exact thought ran through his head for the second time 'She really is beautiful, wait why am i having these thoughts?! She's an Arrancar i'll just help her return to perfect health then we'll go separate ways'

"**Something caught your fancy did it Kingy?" butted in Hichigo, **"Shut up." Ichigo replied sternly but with what appeared to be a slight tint of red across his cheeks.

'arghhh how am i supposed to wake her without startling her too much?' Thought Ichigo '_**Maybe it would be best that you wake her up as a normal person, a loud noise or even just politely waking her up should work' Added Zangetsu, **_'I guess you're right, thanks for the help old man'

Ichigo quietly made his way over to her body which was still lying on the couch knowing this could potentially backfire and she might see him as a threat.

"Ummm Hi?" Ichigo literally stuttered fortunately this was enough to wake her.

Tia shot up like a rocket, quickly taking in her surroundings, she was on what appeared to be a couch in the living room of a Japanese themed shop that looked like it specialized in selling candy.

"Wh-Where am I?" Asked Tia still unsure of what exactly had just happened, relaxing a little when she spotted the orange mop standing across the room starring at her with surprise,

Halibel quickly took a second to take his features in he had long orange hair that went down and a little past his shoulders, he was dressed in what appeared to be a Shinigami uniform this one was a little different as it had a black overcoat and looked ragged around the edges, his Zampakuto looked like an average katana except it was pure black and shun like the moonlight was reflecting off of it, making her way up his body she finally made it to his face and she lost herself in the gaze of his amber eyes.

"Err you're in The Urahara Shoten a small candy shop run by a friend of mine, He's gonna help you get back to full health." Replied Ichigo as quickly as she had asked the question.

"Why did you help me?" Tia asked wanting a straight answer as to why he would help a hollow.

"You were hurt and were about to be devoured by an Adjuchas, i couldn't leave you for dead and i sure as hell wouldn't kill someone that was defenseless" Said Ichigo still with his guard up incase she reacted in a violent manner.

"So what are you gonna do send me back to Hueco Mundo?" Tia questioned, the reply was one that she hadn't expected "God no, the place is still swarming with other soul reapers following Aizen's defeat"

"WHO KILLED HIM!?" Tia questioned in an aggressive manner, "Umm well i kinda did" Stated Ichigo in an awkward manner while scratching the back of his head. Tia was shocked even saying that was an understatement.

"WHY!? I NEEDED TO KILL HIM HE BETRAYED ME AND NOW I NEVER GET TO SEE HIM DIE BY MY SWORD!" Tia literally shouted at the young Soul Reaper, "I'm sorry that you weren't able to do that but he was to much of a threat to Soul Society and the World of the Living who knows what would have happened if i didn't stop him when i did" Replied

a nervous Ichigo who was currently sweating bullets.

Tia's screams soon turned to tears, Ichigo noticing this tried to his best to comfort her without her feeling to awkward, Just as Ichigo was about to pull her into a reassuring

hug. The unexpected happened she clasped onto him tightly and began crying into his shoulder. Ichigo was surprised, wait scratch that he was shocked he had one of the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen in his entire life clasped onto him.

At this time the obvious happened Urahara entered the room grinning like a mad man "Now Kurosaki what are you doing with this young lady?" questioned Urahara in his usual perverted tone.

"Can it Hat n' Clogs, Hows the Gigai coming along?" Ichigo asked not taking his eyes off of Tia , "It is well i just need a sample of her reiatsu and then it should be finished in a couple minutes time.

"Okay then, Urahara can you give us a minute so i can discuss with her what's going on" Ichigo partially stated,

"Very well" Replied Urahara who was already on his way outside the room.

Tia seemingly had calmed down by now and was no longer hysterical in tears, it sounded like she was simply sobbing by now, "Errm Tia?" Ichigo questioned trying to get her attention. "Yes Soul Reaper?" Tia replied while she wiped away her tears.

"Firstly the name is Ichigo Kurosaki but you can just call me Ichigo, and Secondly since you aren't fully recovered you will have to remain in the World of the Living for the time being and because of this we'll have to make you a Gigai which is basically a human body to hide your presence from Soul Society, think of it as a shell" Ichigo stated in his normal tone.

"It shouldn't take to long before you've recovered your reiatsu completely and will be able to return to Hueco Mundo to do whatever you want too, and since you wouldn't have anywhere to stay you are more than welcome to stay at my place" Said Ichigo, the next few seconds were quiet until he heard exactly what he was hoping for "If that's the case i will stay with you until i have recovered" She stated, not longer after she added a "Thank you" in what could be mistaken for as a seductive tone.

"**Hook line and sinker! This ones a keeper Kingy, even better is that she'll be staying at your house so you can have her at any time!" Said Hichigo in his usual maniacal tone. **That statement brought up some images as Ichigo's cheeks were painted a bright red as quick as they came he dismissed such thoughts.

After seeing this Halibel could do nothing else except for blush slightly as she knew what thoughts were running through the young Soul Reapers head.

"Okay i guess we should go see Urahara so he can fix up your Gigai, we will also need to get you some documents because i can't have you in the house all day, so i think you could come to school with me?" Ichigo half-questioned hoping that she would say yes 'Wait! what am i thinking she's an Arrancar how could i possibly have a crush on her? i don't even know her very well' Thought Ichigo.

"School is fine with me" Stated Halibel in an uninterested tone,

When they got into Urahara's personal little workshop, Halibel was surprised to see how many gadgets and nick-naks there were, "Ahh Kurosaki i take it you've managed to convince her?" Urahara questioned he was met with a simple nod, then afterwards there was a long pause Ichigo took this time to put his plan in place "Urahara do you think you could sort out some fake documents so Tia can attend high-school while she's in the world of the living?" Ichigo questioned, hoping the old man would comply with his wishes.

Urahara noticing the nervousness in his voice could tell exactly what was happening _Ichigo had a crush, _"I'm sure that can be set up but for the time being Halibel could i ask you to put some of your reiatsu into this crystal ball so i can finish off the Gigai?"

Tia just looked around to Ichigo to see what to do, noticing this Ichigo grasped another ball in his hand to demonstrate how it should be done, following his actions closely Tia did the exact same and soon enough her crystal ball was full to the brim with reiatsu.

"Okay now that that's been sorted out i have some clothes down the back that she can use for the time being, until you go and by her some new clothes Ichigo" Said Urahara, Ichigo simply grunted in annoyance.

xXx

_**(One hour later)**_

Everything had been sorted even all documents Tia would require to attend Karakura High, they had even thought up a convincing back story that she was orphaned and had no where else to go, this type would definitely seal the deal as Yuzu and Isshin would take pity on her and allow her to stay for as long as she wanted and basically treat her like their third daughter.

After giving his thanks to Kisuke Urahara they were on their way, Ichigo in his normal with Tia in her expertly made gigai. The walk home was mostly uneventful as the two of them didn't have much to talk about, Halibel asked a couple questions about what his family was like using as little words as possible while doing so.

When they had arrived at the Kurosaki Household it was 7 in the morning and everyone was sure to be up in the morning 'Thank god it's not a school day' Thought Ichigo.

"Tia would you mind taking a few steps back and out of the way of the door?" Asked Ichigo, It was strange orders but nevertheless Tia obliged, taking a couple steps back and then one to right so she was out of the way of the door.

Still wondering what exactly was happening, her thoughts were quickly halted as ichigo knocked on the door and backed up a little bit.

The door swung open to reveal Isshin flying through the air at Ichigo's face, Tia gasped as she saw what was taking place in front of her, Ichigo still as calm and collected as ever grabbed Isshin's foot right before it was about to hit his face and simply threw him over his head to send him flying into the street.

Ichigo seizing this chance quickly signaled for Tia to come into the house, after they got inside Ichigo locked the front door, 'That'll surely keep the old man out for a while or until he finds a way arou-' Ichigo's thoughts were halted as Isshin came flying through the window only to land right in front of Ichigo and Tia, Without even realizing it Tia grasped onto Ichigo's harm to feel a little safer.

Isshin looked up and saw what he thought was none other than young love, he ran over to the massive portrait of his late wife Masaki. "Ohh Masaki it's wonderful, Ichigo has brought home a third daughter for us!" The old man began babbling,

Tia chuckled slightly at this scene before her very eyes, until the man turned around and welcomed her to his household. 'Okay, here it goes i really hope this works, from Ichigo's told me his father is an Ex Shinigami but is still very powerful, if the story doesn't convince him i could be in a lot of trouble' Thought Tia.

And so with plan: _Convince the Kurosaki's _underway she had to keep to her roll of an misfortunate orphan who needed someplace to stay after her orphanage had collapsed after a fire,

The plan worked perfectly as Isshin and Yuzu were in tears upon hearing what her life was like, and Karin couldn't careless because they would by anything if it had a sad story to go with it. "Dad please let her stay! she has no where else to go!" Cried Yuzu, Isshin saying something along the same lines about letting her stay for as long as she wants.

After the whole debacle was over without Ichigo's input it was decided that she would stay in Ichigo's room because it had the largest bed so Ichigo was being forced to sleep on the floor, something which he was not to happy about.

Tia had settled into her new room, while Ichigo was moping around the house as he had to sleep on a crappy mattress that would be sprawled across the ground.

xXx

_**(Fast Forward about 30 minutes)**_

it was fast approaching dinner time as Tia was out in the living room trying to figure out what exactly a T.V. was and how all the little people managed to fit in there, Karin only sighed at the scene before her.

Ichigo was sitting at his desk deep in thought about what had happened in the last twenty four hours, and surprisingly enough he wasn't the only one. As Isshin made his way into Ichigo's room, he could tell the old man had something on his mind.

"Now son, can you tell me why you invited an Arrancar to live with us?" Questioned Isshin, At this point in time if Ichigo had a drink in his mouth he would have spat it out.

"How did you know!?" Ichigo replied in a shocked tone still trying to keep his cool if not barely.

xXxXxXx

Finally the 2nd chapter of KoTS has come to an end with a new twist, Questions for next time: How did Isshin figure out that Tia was an Arrancar, also how will Tia cope with school life, and will Tia realize that she might hold feelings for a certain orange haired individual?

Find out next time on King of The Sharks!

**(A/N That took a while, hopefully that was up to your guys standards forgive me if anyone sounds to OOC as i'm new at this and it's pretty difficult for a 14 year-old to try and write a good story)**

Having said that i think it's job well done for now, Chapter 3 will be out soon i just need to brainstorm some ideas about what exactly will happen.

_~AT_


	3. Learning

Welcome all to the 3rd Chapter of KoTS i guess i should start with the usual disclaimer and random author's note, so here it goes **(A/N I'm actually really enjoying this story, after this weekend production may slow down a little but don't worry as the story will always continue, that's all for now)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor do i own the characters.

Speech: "Sup?"

Thoughts: 'hmmm'

Zampakuto: '_**hello'**_

Hollow/Hichigo: **"King"**

_Last Chapter:_

_it was fast approaching dinner time as Tia was out in the living room trying to figure out what exactly a T.V. was and how all the little people managed to fit in there, Karin only sighed at the scene before her._

_Ichigo was sitting at his desk deep in thought about what had happened in the last twenty four hours, and surprisingly enough he wasn't the only one. As Isshin made his way into Ichigo's room, he could tell the old man had something on his mind._

"_Now son, can you tell me why you invited an Arrancar to live with us?" Questioned Isshin, At this point in time if Ichigo had a drink in his mouth he would have spat it out._

"_How did you know!?" Ichigo replied in a shocked tone still trying to keep his cool if not barely._

xXx

_Chapter 3: Learning_

'How could he tell? if he can tell that she's an Arrancar does that mean the other Shinigami can as-well?' Ichigo's mind was going ballistic with what was gonna happen if Soul Society were to get involved Ichigo would be sentenced to death for Treason.

"Now son just relax, after you left Urahara called me up on the phone and explained the _**whole**_ situation to me" Replied Isshin in his upbeat goofy tone, Ichigo was still lost in his thoughts and he didn't realize why Isshin had put emphasis on the word; whole.

Isshin was beaming with joy, according to what Urahara had said Ichigo definitely held feelings for this Arrancar, to be honest it didn't matter whether it was an Arrancar or Soul Reaper even just a normal human, anything that would help brighten Ichigo's mood was A-grade in his books, And Tia had done just that.

"While she's staying here you will have to take care of her and cover all of her expenses except school obviously" Isshin stated.

"I guess that sounds reasonable, are you really okay with her being an Arrancar let alone the Tercera Espada?" Ichigo questioned now more relaxed after the initial shock of the situation

"Of course i am as long as she does nothing to harm my family i'm perfectly fine with her living in my household" Isshin replied putting Ichigo's question to rest, after this statement Isshin decided it was time for him to take his leave.

The rest of the night was uneventful with Ichigo doing his best to introduce Tia to the modern world, a task that proved itself to be excruciatingly difficult.

"Okay, so first off you're going to need to learn to how communicate with others and be able to hold up a conversation, This may be difficult at first but it will become easier over time, you will also have to catch up with schooling don't worry i'll do my best to help you with that. Any questions?"

"No" Tia stated sternly,

"Good, i'll see you in the morning then" Ichigo replied "We'll have a long day of school ahead of us tomorrow"

And with that comment it was time for bed, Tia had borrowed some of Ichigo's old clothes to be used as pajamas, for Tia sleeping wasn't a problem because she had a nice large bed to sleep in, Ichigo on the other hand was definitely not having the best of times trying to get to sleep on the uncomfortable little mattress that Rukia would often use when she stayed at the house.

xXx

**(The next morning)**

It was Monday, Ichigo's first day back to school in month's and Tia's first day in well... ever.

Ichigo woke up from one of his worst sleeps in his entire sleeps "arrgh how did Rukia manage to sleep on that crappy mattress?" Ichigo muttered under his breath careful not to wake the sleeping goddess known as Tia Halibel, 'She looks stunning even when she's sleeping' Ichigo started 'Damn iv'e got to stop having those thoughts she's an Arrancar and i'm a Soul Reaper nothing will ever happen between us'

Looking at his clock Ichigo saw the time, it read: 6:59, 'Shit!" Ichigo thought while still trying to prepare for his Dad's everyday surprise wake up call which usually was a kick aimed straight towards Ichigo's face. Just then the clocked had ticked over to 7:00, Ichigo expecting his Dad to fly into the room at any moment was surprised to see that nothing had happened, 'Hmmm... maybe it's because Tia is staying here, iv'e got to think of a way to thank her for making my Dad stop his wake up call.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs on toast, an easy food to eat yet it still turned out fairly difficult for Tia as she had spent the last decade or so devouring hollow's, and was still new to the whole knives, forks and table manners thing.

"Do you need some help?" Ichigo asked the hopeless Espada. Tia, now sighing in defeat before reluctantly answered with a "Yes". Ichigo smirked and slightly blushed at the scene before him before cutting her toast and telling her how to eat it.

After everyone had finished their breakfast, Tia and Ichigo thanked the chef, Yuzu, Halibel regarded it as the best meal she has eaten for a long time and knowing her it probably was.

Uniforms on, Tia and Ichigo were ready for the grueling day of school ahead of them, Ichigo found himself lost in thoughts whilst admiring Tia's figure 'Wait, that honestly does not look like the right size?' Ichigo questioned in his mind 'That's got to be at-least two sizes too small, the damn Hat n' Clogs' Pushing some perverted thoughts from his mind Ichigo was ready to depart towards school.

"Ready to go?" Ichigo asked a clearly nervous Tia, "As ready as i'll ever be" Replied Tia whilst adjusting her uniform so it was less tight, sadly this was a lost cause.

Ichigo partially chuckled at her endeavors, before saying "If your uniform is too tight we can purchase a new one for you after school", "Thank you" Tia replied with a bright red blush spread across her cheeks.

"Alright we best get going then if we don't to be late, just make sure to stick to the plan, and avoid any guy other than Chad, Uryu and myself, the rest are almost all perverts and while your at it don't let Chizuru anywhere near you" Ichigo stated in a stern voice.

"Okay" Tia replied while adding 'keep away from Chizuru' to her mental list.

The walk to school wasn't very eventful as the two didn't really have much to talk about, this soon changed as they saw Orihime waiting outside the school gates obviously waiting for Ichigo so she could tell him about one of her crazy new recipes or something.

"That's the girl which Ulquiorra kidnapped isn't it?" Asked Tia, "Yeh it is, hopefully she doesn't remember you" Ichigo stated while wondering how she would react upon seeing Ichigo walking with an Espada.

"Ichigo! you'll never believe what new recipe i just came up wit-" Orihime started but stopped half way noticing the girl standing next to him "T-Tia Harribel? what are you doing here?" Orihime questioned while clenching her hands into tight fists.

"Relax Orihime, i found her near death, she's only hear to recover, since it would be pretty boring being cooped all day at my house" Ichigo stated, "Staying at your house?" Orihime questioned with slight anger radiating off of her. This time it was Tia's turn to speak up "Yes, since i had no-where else to go Ichigo kindly offered to take me in at his household and even let me sleep in his bed." Tia said truthfully,

Orihime's fist's were now clenched tight enough that it would take a crowbar to wedge them apart, "Okay then i'll see you later then Ichigo" Orihime said before storming off towards the main school building.

Ichigo being as dense as ever didn't realize the anger in her voice, Halibel on the other hand could 'Is she jealous of the fact that i'm living with Ichigo' Tia thought while making her way inside the school building, "Urahara gave you the same classes as me so you're never alone in a class so i suggest following me around today" Ichigo informed Tia, she nodded in reply.

Just as they turned down the hall they were confronted by none other than Keigo running full speed screaming out "ICCCCHHHHHIIIIIGGGGGOOOOOOOO !" He was met with close-line sending him straight to the ground, harder than usual so it was guaranteed to keep him out cold for a few minutes.

Arriving at their classroom, Tia and Ichigo were prepared for the rumors that will commence, Ichigo more prepared as he still had the bad-boy image to maintain while Tia could basically do whatever she wanted.

Opening the door, Ichigo panned around the room to see Orihime, Chad, Uryu and Tatsuki all huddled together discussing something important, probably about Tia, before anyone could take their seats Ms. Ochi walked into the classroom noticing the new student.

"Alright everyone take your seats, and will Tia Halibel please come to the front?" Asked Ms. Ochi, Tia awkwardly made her way to the front of the class room 'Alright if i just do what Ichigo told me everything will work out perfectly'

"Now Miss Halibel would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?" Asked Ms. Ochi, "Okay umm, I enjoy surfing and fishing and i spend my free time playing sports or reading manga" Tia stated calmly hoping that she had done everything correctly she looked over to Ichigo to see him smirking even if it was only slightly.

"Thanks for that also one more question, where do you live? it doesn't seem to state your address in the information iv'e been given" Asked Ms. Ochi, Oh oh, Tia gulped she definitely wasn't ready for this 'Iv'e got to answer this question truthfully because if i don't it could lead to some trouble in the future' Tia thought "I live with the Kurosaki family"

Everyone's jaw hit the ground at that moment including Ichigo's 'there goes my reputation' sighed Ichigo.

Most of the guys were shocked to hear that the one girl that could rival Orihime in beauty was living with non-other than Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime was sulking in her seat as her chance of being in a relationship was now officially down the drain, Uryu and Tatsuki were not not in the best of moods either with both wondering what her _'true' _intentions are, Chad seemed to be little more accepting as his always trusted Ichigo's judgement.

"Okay then, there is a spare seat behind Ichigo, would you kindly take a seat?" Asked Ms. Ochi, and that's when thing began to stir...

Even after hearing Ichigo's name in the mix, it didn't stop just about every single guy in the class crowding around her desk and asking her questions like _Will you go out with me? Are those Double D's? Etc. _Tia was extremely confused as of this moment, fortunately her savior steeped in at the nick-of-time "Can't you all see that she doesn't want to be crowded around!" Ichigo literally screamed at everyone,"Thank you" Tia mouthed wordlessly with a smile spread across her face.

"Alright class! that is enough, would you all take you seats now so i can begin?" Ms Ochi. asked everyone, everyone quickly chimed in at the same time with a "Yes, Miss Ochi" and they continued to take their seats.

The first few periods of school went well, Tia was able to keep up with the class while Ichigo was trying to catch up, "Briiiiiing" the sound of the lunch bell went off signifying that it was time for recess, Ichigo grabbed his lunch from inside his desk and walked up to the roof with Tia.

Tia sighed, "I don't think any of your friends like me...", Why would you say that? Ichigo asked seriously wondering how she could come up with that idea, "Well that Orihime girl was sending me death glares and i also think Uryu despises me, i don't know what to think about Chad" Tia replied. "Don't worry about it, they'll warm up to you over time but for now just try and bond with them" Ichigo responded.

"I guess you're right: Tia stated in her normal tone, continuing their way to the top of the roof.

Arriving on the top of the roof, Tia and Ichigo were met with a bunch of death stares 'Ahhh great... explanation time' Ichigo sighed,

"Kurosaki! Why is she here?" Exclaimed Uryu, with enough venom behind his words to kill a hollow.

"Calm down, she's only here for the time being till she regains her powers, then she'll return to Hueco Mundo" Ichigo responded.

"I still don't see why you're helping her, she's a Hollow she doesn't deserve any help" Uryu replied in his usual smug tone,

That comment really hit Tia hard 'Maybe he's right i'm a Hollow i don't deserve any help' These thoughts were really crushing her self esteem, till Ichigo spoke up

"Who cares if she's a Hollow or an Arancar, Nel's an Arrancar and you didn't sem to have any problem with her, as for helping her, why not? she was defenseless and was also betrayed by Aizen, saying that i would never kill a women especially if she was defenseless." Ichigo rebutted setting the Smug quincy in his place.

'He really cares for me' this thought warmed Tia's non-existent heart and not to mention her cheeks, Orihime catching wind of this emitted a low growl as if telling her that Ichigo was her's not Tia's.

This time it was Orihime who spoke up "How come she's living with y- you?" She stuttered out,

"well i wouldn't to have her struggle on her own, and certainly wouldn't want her to get stuck with Urahara, it's also good for my sisters, theyve been a bit lost ever since Rukia went back to Soul Society" Ichigo quickly responded, and seemingly enough they bought it 'Phew, i still really don't know why i let her stay with me' Ichigo thought, _**'I might have the answer you're looking for, visit me after school' Zangetsu added**_. 'Okay, just one quick question, where is Hichigo at? i haven't heard from him in a while' Ichigo asked his Zampakuto _**'He is also part of the reason i would like to talk to you, but right now this can wait you haven't even done s much as move for 30 seconds and your friends are beginning to get worried' Zangetsu finished off not allowing Ichigo time to ask any questions.**_

"Umm, Ichigo? are you ok?" Orihime asked whilst gently shaking his shoulder, Ichigo was quickly brought back to his senses "Yeah, i was just talking to Zangetsu" Ichigo responded,

Tia was visibly confused at what happened, '_Who was Zangetsu? Why did i feel my stomach churn at the sight of her touching him?' _She decided to voice her first question "Who's Zangetsu?" Tia asked in an innocent voice.

"Oh well, he's my Zampakuto spirit" Ichigo replied, after that the rest of the school day was rather quite and uneventful except for the many death glares sent at Tia and Ichigo, this was because of the fact that most of the school thought that they were going out with Tia living with Ichigo and all, Tia and Ichigo also seemed to have their own respective fan-base jealous of the fact that none of them had even the slightest chance to scoop either of the two up.

Upon returning from a slightly awkward... wait scratch that, extremely awkward walk from school to home, the two had nothing two talk about, well they both definitely had something to talk about but they were both to scared to bring up the matter.

So lost in his thoughts Ichigo didn't bother to ready himself for the attack which his father had probably spent the whole day planning,and with a very loud "ICHHHIIIGGOOOO!" a foot went straight into Ichigo's face knocking him straight into the floor with a _THUD!_

This action seemed to push Ichigo off of the edge "What the hell old man?! Do you have to do this everyday?" Asked an irritated Ichigo,

""Of course i do my son, how else are you going to get stronger?" Isshin replied.

"Whatever, i'll be up in my room all night, i'll come down for dinner" Ichigo said before storming off upstairs.

"I wonder what he could be doing up there" Isshin stated in a perverted tone obviously hinting towards the obvious.

Halibel still not exactly realizing what Isshin was implying when saying that decided to just give him the answer "On the walk home he said something about talking with Zangetsu"

This was enough to finish the conversation as Isshin went back into the clinic while Tia still tried to figure out the contraption known as a Television.

xXx

**(Ichigo's Bedroom)**

Slowly sinking into his _inner world _Ichigo quickly traced onto Zangetsu's spiritual pressure, finding him shortly after meditating peacefully as usual "Errm Zangetsu you said you can answer my questions" Ichigo queried the old man,

"_**Yes, i have told you before i should be able to answer any and all questions relating to recent events."**_

"Okay then, Why exactly did i offer to let Tia stay with me, i still don't even know why i said that"

"_**It's quite simple really whether you want to believe it or not you hold feelings for Tia Halibel, and i'm whether she knows it yet or not she feels the same way about you"**_

"Umm Thanks" Ichigo visibly shaken by Zangetsu's answer 'She actually likes me?' Ichigo thought.

"_**Back on to topic, Hichigo hasn't been around recently as for reasons relating to Tia Halibel - " Zangetsu was cut short by Ichigo's scream of **_"WHAT!?"

"_**If you would let me finish" Zangetsu continued "He came up with the idea that since you've found someone to be your queen, he is giving you some time off from his constant nagging, think of it like a vacation"**_

"Well that's cool i guess, just make sure to tell him thanks for me" And with that comment Ichigo returned to his senses in the real world, when he heard the perfectly timed call made by Yuzu signifying that dinner was ready.

Ichigo quickly made his way down the stairs and into the dining room for dinner, it was pretty much the same as yesterday (not including the food of-course) there was little if not none small talk going around the table.

Ichigo and Tia continued on with their night as usual completing their homework twice as fast by working together, as it was nearing bedtime Tia could tell something rather serious was on his mind and by the way his eyes were moving around the room it was obvious that it would involve her in a way.

Tia thought of a great idea that in her mind was completely fool proof "Ichigo if you feel like it you can sleep in the bed with me tonight" Tia offered in a seductive tone.

This basically set Ichigo's mind into overdrive "W-Wait realllly?" He managed to stutter out.

"Sure i guess you obviously have something on your mind at this point in time you're not willing to tell me, so i guess all thats left to do is earn an answer from you" She replied in a quiet yet still very seductive tone,

Tia quickly planted a peck on Ichigo's cheek before turning herself in to bed.

xXxXxXx

Whelp that took longer than anticipated mainly because of school work, and i have been really lacking in the idea's department, i'm sure it's obvious now i'm definitely not the best writer going around but at-least i'm giving it my best. That being said i bid you all farewell till the next chapter which shouldn't take to long if i manage to focus myself for a few hours.

-AT


	4. Gossip

Welcome to the 4th chapter of KotS, finally something has begun with Tia and Ichigo, the real question is what will follow? 'Insert random A/N here'

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor will i ever.._

Speech: "Sup?"

Thoughts: 'hmmm'

Zampakuto: '_**hello'**_

Hollow/Hichigo: **"King"**

_Last Chapter:_

_Tia thought of a great idea that in her mind was completely fool proof "Ichigo if you feel like it you can sleep in the bed with me tonight" Tia offered in a seductive tone._

_This basically set Ichigo's mind into overdrive "W-Wait realllly?" He managed to stutter out._

"_Sure i guess you obviously have something on your mind at this point in time you're not willing to tell me, so i guess all thats left to do is earn an answer from you" She replied in a quiet yet still very seductive tone,_

_Tia quickly planted a peck on Ichigo's cheek before turning herself in to bed._

xXx

Ichigo was dumbstruck, 'T-Tia just kissed me' To say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Umm Okay.." Ichigo said as he slowly and awkwardly made his way to his bed, with Tia on the other side.

As he climbed into the bed a quiet "Mmmm" escaped Tia's lips, this sound causing Ichigo's cheeks to flush a bright red.

As they lay back in bed, Tia thought it as a perfect time to ask him what was going on in that head of his now that his guard was lowered, "So... Ichigo what did Zangetsu say to you?" Tia queried.

'_Crap, i should've known she'd do something like this'_ Ichigo paused for a moment to think over what would be a good answer "Umm, he just wanted to talk about what was happening with my inner hollow" Ichigo thought he had dodged a bullet with that answer until... "And?" Tia asked still not satisfied.

'Damn it, i guess i should tell her, delaying it might damage our friendship' Ichigo thought over in his head before sighing in defeat,

"Fine, He said that, err... umm how should i say this" Ichigo panicked "Hurry up, we don't have all night, i'd like to get some sleep for school tomorrow" Tia added.

Ichigo began his explanation whilst sweating bullets "He said, that since i ermm kinda have feelings for you, i should try and bond with you more" Ichigo said whilst realizing he might have just messed up his one and only chance at pursuing a relationship with Tia.

"Sure, i mean were already sleeping together, and i was just kind of waiting for you to say that" Tia said with a smile.

Ichigo sweat-dropped 'Did she really just have to do that in the most casual way... Wait! Iv'e got a girlfriend now!" Ichigo celebrated in his mind forgetting something very important, _Orihime _'Crap, she won't take this news very well, i might be dense but i can still tell that she likes me, she's not going to take this well' Ichigo grimaced before finally succumbing to sleep while partially grasped onto Tia.

The sleep was one of the best sleeps of his life, so good that he actually overslept.

Ichigo looked up from his position of being tightly wrapped up in Tia's arms, noticing the alarm-clock, it read 7:59. One thought was going through his mind now 'Shit'

Ichigo struggled as much as he could to get out of Tia's grip, careful not to wake her, until... "ICCCHHHHIIIIIIIGGGGGOOOOOO!" Isshin shouted as he kicked down Ichigo's door.

At this point of time Ichigo was still wrapped up in a sleeping Tia's arms while lying in bed next to each-other.

Ichigo began "Dad, i can explai-" before he was interrupted with Isshin jumping for joy "It's okay son, you've finally become a man."

Ichigo groaned upon hearing this, still in his half awake state, "But it's-" Ichigo stuttered before realizing he was fighting a losing battle "Never mind"

As Isshin was leaving his son's room with a large gin spread across his face, one thought passed his mind 'Kisuke's gonna love this'

"Damn it" Ichigo muttered under his breath, 'At-least this day can't get any worse' Ichigo reassured himself.

Tia eventually woke up from all of Ichigo's squirming "what's all the fuss about?" She asked, "Dad" Ichigo responded in an annoyed tone, "Ohh"

"Anyway we've got to get ready for school" Ichigo said in a nervous tone. while grabbing his clothes from the dresser.

"Alright, i'll be ready in a few minutes" Tia replied.

The morning was the same as usual with not much to talk about, except for the obvious Ichigo and Tia, however they did their best to dodge any and all questions from the Kurosaki family.

On the way to school, Tia and Ichigo discussed how to go about the whole relationship and after much debating they decided to keep it a secret as long as possible.

xXx

**(School)**

Tia and Ichigo walked through front door of Karakura High and made their way down towards the classroom, only to be greeted with Keigo running towards Ichigo and Tia, arms flailing around whilst screaming out "ICHIGOOOOOOO!", Ichigo simply lifted up his arm and closelined the annoying individual.

"Hey Keigo" Ichigo replied, stepping over the currently immobile man's body

As they entered the class room everything was normal, Chizuru was groping Orihime, Tatsuki was fending off Chizuru, Uryu was sitting at his desk, Chad was standing around minding his own business.

Tatsuki smacked Chizuru on the back of the head leaving her out for the count, seeing this made Tia giggle slightly 'back in Hueco Mundo she would probably be dead by now'

After Orihime had recovered from being groped by Chizuru, she noticed something different about Ichigo's reiatsu, it was surrounding Tia, almost as if they had slept together... 'No they couldn't have possibly done that, i'm probably just getting paranoid' Orihime reassured herself,

Unfortunately Orihime wasn't the only person to notice with every spiritually aware person in the class wondering the same thing.

Ignoring all the stares, Ichigo and Tia sat down in their respective seats to await the beginning of class.

Just then Miss. Ochi walked into the classroom, "Alright everyone take a seat so i can get started."

Tia could literally feel the death glare she was receiving from Orihime penetrate the back of her skull.

'I wonder what's got her all upset today?' Tia wondered while trying to keep up with the note taking, eventually it was time for lunch. 'Thank god' Ichigo thought before making his way to the roof with Tia.

Unknown to them everyone else was waiting, and they wanted answers.

Opening the door to the roof Ichigo and Tia quickly making their way over to the group, as they sat down Orihime was the first to speak "Hi Ichigo" She said in a somewhat pleasant tone "Hi Tia" She said in a tone that sounded like she was growling.

"Umm Hi?" Tia replied, not sure exactly how to reply, Uryu was the first to begin the conversation that Ichigo and Tia had been dreading "Tia, why is it that you're completely surrounded by Ichigo's reiatsu?" Asked the smug Quincy.

"Well... umm it's because err" Tia was lost for words, never being in a situation like this she didn't know what to do.

Finally Ichigo spoke up, saving her from embarrassing herself any further "I had a lot on my mind last night and to make me feel more relaxed, Tia requested that i sleep in the same bed with her, "

"Now, what exactly do you mean by having a lot on your mind?" Uryu asked knowing that he was getting closer to the answer,

"Umm just stuff that Zangetsu told me"

"What do you mean by stuff?"

"Not much"

"Why are you saying 'Not much' if before you said you had a lot on your mind?" Uryu asked grinning, knowing he had hit the nail on the head.

Ichigo was stuck between a rock and a hard place, the only way about would be to tell them the truth, looking to his side Ichigo gave her a look asking if it was okay to tell them the truth.

"Fine, Zangetsu was telling me about..." Ichigo stopped for a moment to calm himself down, it wasn't working his forehead was covered in sweat, "M-My feelings toward Tia. "

Everyone was visibly shocked by this, Ichigo Kurosaki who had never shown a romantic interest with someone his entire life suddenly starts crushing on a girl he had only known for a few days, not to mention the fact that she was an Arrancar.

Orihime was devastated, she had lost her chance with Ichigo, to make it worse it was something he had always despised for killing his mother, a Hollow.

At this point of time Tia's cheeks were now a deep shade of red, now that she thought about it she had never been in a relationship with anyone... ever, This thought made her smirk slightly.

Uryu was pretty pissed off that Ichigo could tolerate that filthy hollow let alone actually like her, but still he was intrigued with that turn of events so he just had to find out what had happened next "Would you like to enlighten us on what happened next?"

"Well, i guess i told her how i feel, and one thing led to another and i guess you could say we are dating" Ichigo stated in a somewhat happier tone than normal.

little did everyone know, Keigo was stealthily hidden behind the main door to the roof, at first he was aggravated that no-one had invited him to the roof for lunch and was about to confront everyone about it until he heard what they were talking about, "What? Ichigo's going out wth one of the potentially hottest girls in existence and he didn't even think to tell me about it?" Keigo quietly muttered to himself, before he came up with a plan to satisfy his revenge on Ichigo, "_Gossip_"

After the painstakingly long lunch time hour Ichigo and Tia made their way to their final classes for the day, along the way they noticed something everyone was staring at them with wide eyes, some of the boys were even glaring at Ichigo, something which he returned right back at them, 'News about this couldn't have gotten out about this that fast could it?' Ichigo wondered to himself, Tia was thinking the exact same thing

"Uhh... when will this day end?" Ichigo quietly mumbled to himself, At this time Tia had also been met with a lot of glares all of them from girls except for one guy who was definitely gay, "When will this day end?" Tia quietly mumbled to herself at the exact time Ichigo said the same thing.

And of course the last few hours of school felt like absolute hell for Ichigo and Tia, met with stares left right and centre.

Finally school had ended, Tia and Ichigo had rushed home so they could just be finished with the day from hell, Orihime was heartbroken so Tatsuki walked her home to comfort her, Uryu was in a shitty mood because his 'best friend' not that he'd actually admit it in the first place. Had basically become a new person and he felt like he couldn't trust him completely anymore, Chad honestly didn't really care much about this he trusted Ichigo no matter what his decision was and he's always stand by his side.

xXx

**(Soul Society)**

"I hear by call this Captain's Meeting open!" Yamamoto's voice echoed through the almost empty halls of the first division

All of the Captains and Lieutenants were confused as why a Captain's meeting had been called a week earlier than the next one scheduled,

"It has come to my attention that Karakura Town hasn't had any hollow attacks as of late, It also appears that Ichigo's reiatsu has begun to even itself out over the last few days, I will be sending a team of several of you to investigate this matter"

"The team will consist of: Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Rukia Kuchiki, Captain Soi-Fon and Lieutenant Nemu" The old man roared.

"Forgive me for asking commander, but why would Ichigo's reiatsu evening out be a problem?" Asked a confused Shunsui,

"Normally it wouldn't but recent reports of his reiatsu signatures, it appears to be going somewhere, as of now we are unsure if Ichigo knows this is happening or not, that is why we are going to send Lieutenant Nemu to investigate"

"The mission will commence in 5 day's, i expect all of you to be ready for then and i also expect Rukia Kuchiki to be informed as she is closest to Ichigo"

"I now call this Captain's meeting to a close!" The old man literally shouted, making all the lieutenants shake in their metaphorical boots.

xXxXxXx

Another chapter finished, this one is definitely not as-long as the last, mainly becaus ei didn't have much to write about because i wanted to leave it for a later chapter, as for the people i have chosen for the mission is simple Captain Hitsugaya because he fought against Tia during the Winter War, Rangiku because i think it will be fun to see her annoy her captain, Rukia because as stated in the story she has the most experience with Ichigo, Captain Soi-Fon mainly because she is my favorite Captain and Nemu to top it off because i feel that she is a character that needs to be expanded on. _**Now here's the question, Should i do a 5-day time skip? Or should i add a completely new twist and change how the arrival of the research team will turn out?**_

_**(You can answer these in either review or P.M.)**_

-AT


	5. Countdown

Hey guys, here's the Fifth update for KotS, after viewing some P.M.'s and taking the time to think about the story and how it would work out iv'e decided to bypass the 5 day's and avoid the major plot twist as it will mess with the story too much and i'll have to rethink everything iv'e done about the story. If anyone was wondering i was considering adding Nelliel into the story to shake things up a bit.

**(A/N, Fun Fact: I absolutely hate Renji he's the only character that i loath)**

( ͡º ͜ʖ ͡º)

_Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, probably never will._

_Last Chapter:_

"_The team will consist of: Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Rukia Kuchiki, Captain Soi-Fon and Lieutenant Nemu" The old man roared._

"_Forgive me for asking commander, but why would Ichigo's reiatsu evening out be a problem?" Asked a confused Shunsui,_

"_Normally it wouldn't but recent reports of his reiatsu signatures, it appears to be going somewhere, as of now we are unsure if Ichigo knows this is happening or not, that is why we are going to send Lieutenant Nemu to investigate"_

"_The mission will commence in 5 day's, i expect all of you to be ready for then and i also expect Rukia Kuchiki to be informed as she is closest to Ichigo"_

"_I now call this Captain's meeting to a close!" The old man literally shouted, making all the lieutenants shake in their metaphorical boots._

xXx

**(Soul Society Thirteenth Division Barracks)**

Captain Ukitake made his way back to the squad 13 barracks after the meeting to inform Rukia of the news that she will be returning back to the World of the Living.

Ukitake knew that Rukia would be ecstatic at hearing this, as he was one of the few that knew about her crush on a certain Substitute Shinigami.

Approaching her room, Ukitake couldn't wait to see the look on her face, even though it had only been a few days since the end of the Winter War, Rukia still really wanted to return to the World of the Living.

"Rukia, you will be returning to the World of the Living in 5 days for a mission, make sure you're ready for then, i have also spoken to the Captain Commander and he said that it will be fine for you to travel there before-hand and inform Ichigo Kurosaki of our mission, for this mission you, Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Captain Soi-Fon and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi will be taking part, you are to observe the recent disappearance of Hollow's in the area and also observe what's happening to Kurosaki's reiatsu, any questions?" The white headed man asked calmly.

Rukia was beaming, you could see it in her eyes, the only time she'd ever get this happy was when someone mentioned Chappy "Umm, what exactly is happening to Ichigo's reiatsu?" The petite raven haired shinigami asked.

"It appears to be directing itself somewhere or to someone, we are unsure if Ichigo knows he what he is doing, therefore we are sending Nemu Kurotsuchi to observe and record any and all information, "

"What about the disappearance of Hollow's what's that about?" Rukia asked.

"For the last few day's there hasn't been a single hollow within Karakura Town, as of now we fear the town might be involved in something as this has never happened" Captain Ukitake started " Also i recommend you inform Ichigo of what's happening, you know what he can act like" And with that he flash-stepped away probably towards his Captains quarters.

Rukia could barely contain her excitement by now, after hearing that she would be going to the World of the Living for a mission not to mention the fact that she got to see Ichigo before anyone else 'This is probably my best chance to get with Ichigo' She thought, normally Rukia couldn't careless about her looks but for now she wanted to look her best for informing Ichigo.

xXx

**(Soul Society Second Division Barracks)**

'Damn it, iv'e got to spend god knows how long in that stupid World of the Living, observing that stupid Ryoka Boy, ' As much as she hated to say it, the boy was special, the only thing stopping her from actually trying anything with him was the fact that he had the worst reiatsu control she had ever seen.

'Maybe i could try and teach him some reiatsu control while i'm there, it would be needed seeing as his spiritual pressure seems to rise everyday.'

Before she even knew it her thoughts had strayed over to the mysterious Ryoka boy, quickly getting rid of such thoughts, 'At least i'll be able to get away from Omaeda for a while, he's relentless attempts at asking me out are getting quite annoying' Just as she finished this thought, Omaeda burst through her door holding a bouquet of flowers "Captain Soi-Fon, might i ask your permission to take you on a da-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as he received a punch straight to the face knocking him out cold, as he lay on the ground, Soi-Fon finally answered "No." She stated unemotionally.

Leaving the motionless body of Omaeda on the ground she continued doing what captain's do best... Documents.

xXx

**(Soul Society Tenth Division Barracks)**

Captain Hitsugaya was busy working on the usual paperwork, doing double what the other Captain's did because of his useless Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, she had to be the most irresponsible person he had ever known, normally after finishing their work for the day most Shinigami went for a bottle of Sake, Rangiku however didn't she would never leave it at one or two, she would always be heavily hangover from drinking the next day.

Matsumoto always thought that Toshiro was the one who needed to change, he never even bothered to have fun, he would always take his job to seriously, why couldn't he be a little laid back like Shunsui once in a while?

Slowly staggering into the Captain's quarters, Rangiku was yet again drunk. "H-Hey Captain, how's the captain business goin?" She managed to slur out before collapsing on his neatly stacked pile of paperwork he had spent the whole morning working on.

As papers flew around the room in all directions, Toshiro Hitsugaya was about to lose it, he had spent majority of his day working on those files and stacking them in the correct order only to have it ruined by his Lieutenant.

"A-Hahahaha Whoops, I guess" Rangiku stated in a happy yet uncaring tone, this was enough to make Captain Hitsugaya snap.

"MAAAATTTTTTSSSSSSSUUUUUUUMMM MMOOOOOTTTTTTTOOOOOOO!"

Screams were heard all across the Seireitei, it was fairly obvious for everyone to tell what was going on as this happened on a daily basis.

xXx

**(Soul Society Twelfth Division Barracks)**

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was known as a mad scientist, if you were to get on his bad side he would cut you up... literally.

Instead of doing his usual experimenting at this time he was informing his Lieutenant/Daughter _Nemu Kurotsuchi _of what she must do while in Karakura Town.

"Listen up Nemu, While you are in Karakura Town gather all information you can on Ichigo Kurosaki, if possible try and persuade him to do some testing. Is that understood?" The Captain of the Twelfth Division asked.

"Yes Captain, it will be done. " Replied the emotionless Nemu.

xXx

**(Karakura Town)**

This was the third day of Ichigo and Tia's relationship so far all they had really done was sleep in the same bed and hold hands on their way home from school or something.

That being said they had just returned from another boring day of school, the only partially exciting thing that happened was that they had gotten an assignment on The possibility of there being alternate dimensions. This topic actually managed to make Tia giggle slightly as it was very easy with her coming from Hueco Mundo herself. The class had all their names placed into a hat so their would be random pairings for the assignment, just about every single male in the class was hoping to be in a group with either Orihime or Tia, sadly for them, Orihime was partnered up with Uryu while Ichigo was partnered up with Tia. When Ichigo thought about it he realized that it was probably Urahara's doing.

From experience over the last few days Tia had learn't to step out of the way of the door when they returned home from school. "ICHGIOOOOO!" The old man screamed whilst sending a flying kick straight towards Ichigo's face, Ichigo simply side-stepped the pathetic attempt of an attack as he and Tia walked inside to begin with there assignment, leaving Isshin on the side walk with a sprained ankle as he had an awkward landing.

Arriving at their room and settling down, Ichigo decided to use this time to ask Tia a few questions about her experience in the Winter War, she'd usually keep quiet about and say very few words.

"Hey Tia, who exactly did you fight during the War?" Ichigo asked hesitant of how she would react.

Tia sighed, she really didn't want to talk about this "I fought against a White haired Child wearing a Captains Haori, halfway through our fight some group showed up and two females joined the fight, one wearing some type of Gym outfit, while the other was in a Sailor's outfit"

"That was Toshiro Hitsugaya, Hiyori and Lisa Yadomaru, the last two were Vizards, Shinigami with Hollow powers" Ichigo stated "Aizen experimented on them, and with the help of Urahara they were able to escape Soul Society and control their inner hollow"

xXx

**(Soul Society) 5 minutes earlier.**

Rukia had finished preparing herself for her short visit too the World of the Living, needless to say she was very excited to see Ichigo again even though it would only be for a little while before the actual mission began.

She had her Gigai from the last time she was at the World of the Living and was currently making her way through the Dangai, 'I hope everyones doing fine,' She wondered to herself 'First things first i need to have a cool entrance for when i see Ichigo again'

xXx

**(Karakura Town)**

Ichigo and Tia had begun working on their assignment as they had finished all their homework for today, unknown to them Rukia was sitting on the roof in her gigai thinking about how her entrance would work, after spending several minutes thinking it over she decided to come down through the light, just like Renji and the others did the last time they were here.

_SMASH! _The giant light shattered upon hitting the ground, standing in it's place was non-other than Rukia, Ichigo was shocked to be seeing her back so early, Tia was surprised at seeing his happen.

Ichigo was the first to speak "Rukia!?" He began, Tia thought that name over through her head 'Isn't that the girl he went to Soul Society to save?' She asked herself.

"Yep it's me, were you expecting me never to return or someth-" Rukia's voice quickly trailed off after spying the girl sitting at Ichigo's side, "Umm who's this?" Rukia asked Tia more so than she was asking Ichigo.

"Oh, umm this is Tia, she's staying with me for a little while" Ichigo started, "Would you mind taking a seat so i can explain everything to you" Said Ichigo.

Rukia sat down and Ichigo began to explain everything about Tia, leaving out the obvious which was their relationship.

"What!? You've got to be kidding me?!" Rukia yelled in hysterics "If Soul Society were to find out about this you would both of you would be executed!"

"I know, that's why i'm trusting you to keep it a secret" Ichigo said "Anyway what exactly are you here for?"

"Oh that, in five day's time Me along with several others are to be sent to the World of the Living, to figure out what happened to all of the Hollow's as they seem to be non-existent in this area" Rukia stated leaving out the reason for their mission.

"Iv'e been wondering that as-well ever since i found Tia i haven't seen a single Hollow"

"Soul Society is worried thinking something bad might occur in the future, so thats why their sending a team"

"Okay... wait who is in this team?" Ichigo asked clearly hesitant of what her answer might be.

"There is Nemu Kurotsuchi, Captain Soi-Fon, Rangiku Matsumoto, Myself and Captain Hitsugaya" Rukia answered.

'Oh man this is bad, what if he remembers her for the war?' Ichigo and Tia both had a worried look on their faces, Rukia noticing this decided that she didn't want to be left out "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"During the Winter War, Tia fought against Toshiro" Ichigo said, with worry written all across his face

"Anyway" Rukia began, doing her best to change the subject, "Where exactly is she sleeping? I don't see how she could fit in that boring closet of yours"

Of all times this is when Tia decided to speak up "Iv'e been sleeping in his bed with him"

"Y-You, What?"

"If it's any constellation, he gave me his bed so i can sleep comfortably" Tia said,

"That doesn't explain why he would be sleeping in his bed then, if he let you sleep in it" Said a completely irate Rukia.

"He didn't look very comfortable on the mattress"

"What's wrong with the mattress? I slept on it for months!"

Ichigo decided it was time to add into the conversation "That's because it's for midgets, how am i supposed to sleep when my feet are dangling over the end?"

"I guess you're right" Rukia said finally accepting defeat,

moments later, deciding she should play a trick on the gullible Ichigo "So are you two dating or something?" She asked sarcastically.

Ichigo's and Tia's face's both turned a beet-red colour, even more shockingly Ichigo didn't deny it, after what felt like eternity in awkward silence, a devastated Rukia decided it was time for her to make her leave.

"An-Anyway, i guess i should get going, iv'e probably spent too much time here to be honest, i was only supposed to inform you about the mission" Slowly turning her head to Tia "It was nice to meet you" She said pleasantly but with a lot of venom packed behind her words, after that she had jumped out of the open window and began running towards what was supposedly the direction to Urahara's Shop.

Tia and Ichigo didn't notice the obvious anger that Rukia had shown, so they waved it off as nothing and continued on with their night as normal.

_4 Days till Mission._

xXxXxXx

I'll have to apologize for my lack of updating and the poor quality of this story, I'll do my best to get a new chapter out as soon as possible. If any are wondering why i haven't updated this story sooner was mainly because i started watching a couple new anime series and i'm finding it difficult to find time to continue writing my story, that aside i hope you enjoyed this update, i plan on doing countdowns for the other days as-well to help slow down the storyline a bit.

-AT


	6. Countdown: 2

It's Finally here! The Sixth update for KotS, i apologize for not having a new chapter out sooner as i was busy finishing school, but now that it's over for the year i now have a lot more time to think and write about my stories.

In this chapter, nothing out of the ordinary will really happen, i will be featuring Day 4 of the countdown till the mission, and quite possibly in the next chapter i will have days 3 and 2 of the countdown. As for this story after much thinking and debating with myself i have decided on what turn of events my story will take.

**(In regards to Ichigo and Tia's relationship, it doesn't look like much at the moment because of the fact that it's both their first ever relationship so you can't really blame them. I might include them getting some relationship advice later)**

_Disclaimer: I hereby state that i do not own Bleach nor do i own any of the characters._

_Last Chapter:_

"_So are you two dating or something?" She asked sarcastically._

_Ichigo's and Tia's face's both turned a beet-red colour, even more shockingly Ichigo didn't deny it, after what felt like eternity in awkward silence, a devastated Rukia decided it was time for her to make her leave._

"_An-Anyway, i guess i should get going, iv'e probably spent too much time here to be honest, i was only supposed to inform you about the mission" Slowly turning her head to Tia "It was nice to meet you" She said pleasantly but with a lot of venom packed behind her words, after that she had jumped out of the open window and began running towards what was supposedly the direction to Urahara's Shop._

_Tia and Ichigo didn't notice the obvious anger that Rukia had shown, so they waved it off as nothing and continued on with their night as normal._

xXx

**(Soul Society Thirteenth Division Barracks)**

_4 Days till Mission_

A Devastated Rukia ran through the Thirteenth Division's Barracks as fast as her 'midget' legs could take her,

She absolutely refused to cry, after-all how was she supposed to be strong if she through a tantrum after she didn't get her way. You couldn't blame her though, since that one thing was the love of her life.

After running through the Barracks for a good amount of time she finally had made her way to her room/dorm that she would usually stay at if she wasn't at the Kuchiki Family Estate.

Jumping on to her bed, she instantly began bawling her eye's out into her pillow as it would be the only thing to drain away her sadness. "Why?" She wailed into her pillow and it came out as a muffled cry that to random passerby's might sound something along the lines of a cry of pain.

"Why can't he just notice me?" She cried out into her pillow "His known her for 5 minutes, and they're already going out..."

"What does she have that i don't?" She found herself asking no-one, 'She's got assets, Orihime might be able to match her in that league' She found herself wondering, "What's so special about her?" She asked herself before resuming crying her eyes out in her pillow.

It just so happens that at that exact point of time Renji happened to be making his way through the thirteenth division's barracks, in hopes of finally giving his little crappy Chappy keychain to Rukia when he overheard a muffled cry.

Renji being the gentleman that he is, decided to investigate were exactly it was coming from, it didn't take long, around 4-5 seconds to be exact. The reason it took this long was because he was only a few paces away from Rukia's dorm/room.

'Huh? It's coming from Rukia's room?' Renji thought 'What bastard would make her cry? When i found out who did this, Oh i can just imagine the things i would do to them...' Renji stood outside the door to Rukia's room for a good minute or so before realizing that he was actually just standing there for a minute and a bit looking like an idiot.

Renji knocked on the door to Rukia's room, The instant reply was a typical "Go away!"

"It's me Renji, what's wrong?" He asked her.

"I-I'm perfectly fine, what are you talking about?" Rukia replied trying not to let him hear the sadness in her words.

"If you are fine, then why were you crying before?" Renji said.

Rukia hesitated with coming up with an answer as Renji had just about hit the nail on the head with that question, "Come in, the door's unlocked" Rukia sighed admitting defeat.

Renji entered her room, and after getting comfortable, Rukia began her explanation, "So, because of my mission in a couple days time, my Captain allowed me to visit the World of the Living for a short while to inform Ichigo of what would be happening" After this she paused for a little while before resuming.

"When i got there i came across a very interesting discovery" Rukia paused for suspense as it was obvious that Renji couldn't wait to hear the whole story. "It was one of the surviving Arrancar's from the War. "

"Wait... What?!" Renji just about shouted.

"It was also the Tercera Espada" Rukia added.

"According to Captain Hitsugaya, she was cut down by Aizen himself" Renji said.

"Anyway, she's currently living with Ichigo till she's fully recovered, and after what happened to her i think that it would be safe to say that she's not a threat to Soul Society" Rukia explained.

"Wait, Ichigo's sheltering an Arrancar, and to make it worse she's an Espada. If Soul Society were to find out about this he would be executed on the spot, even if he's the hero of the Winter War, he will still be seen as a threat by Captain-Commander" Renji said.

"I'm not really concerned about that, when push comes to shove, i'm sure that Ichigo will have a plan to ensure safety to everyone including the Espada"

"What are you concerned about then?" Renji asked her.

"I don't know if it's true or not, but i think that the two are actually going out" Rukia said sadly,

"And as she was our enemy during the Winter War, i don't know if she can be trusted and she could be taking advantage of Ichigo's kindness and natural protectiveness" She finished.

"I don't know about that, since Aizen betrayed her, i don't think i would really see her as a threat anymore, i can't say the same for other people though" Renji replied,

"I guess you're right, i got worked up all over nothing" Rukia said wiping away the remaining tears still lingering on her face. "Thanks for coming around, i just needed someone i can trust to talk too"

"No problem, i'll always be around if you need any advice" And after that statement, Renji had already flash-stepped out of the Thirteenth Division.

xXx

**(Soul Society Tenth Division Barracks)**

Captain Hitsugaya had just finished all of his paperwork for... yesterday, as he had zero help from his Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto. 'One of these day's i'll get her to actually do her work' Toshiro thought to himself, but for now he needed to catch up on some much needed sleep. The mission in four days time was practically a godsend, he would be able to get away from his paperwork for however long the mission took.

He was so tired, he decided to not even move from his desk, so he just literally fell asleep at his desk. Of course no one is ever able to achieve sleep when Rangiku Matsumoto's around, and it just so happens that she had recovered from her hangover and was actually willing to do work for the first time in God knows how long.

The door to Captain Hitsugaya's office was just about thrown off of it's hinges as a now sober Rangiku Matsumoto jumped into the room "Reporting for duty, Captain!" She roared at the now sleeping figure of Toshiro Hitsugaya in his chair with his head against his desk.

'Hmm he's asleep' Rangiku thought to her self 'How's he supposed to do his work if his always neglecting his work and sleeping on the job?' Rangiku thought, this thought lead to a wonderful idea.

It was a wonderful idea, that could never backfire, well it actually could seeing as it was an idea from the strange mind that is Rangiku Matsumoto. It was actually pretty simple all she needed to do is get close to him and whisper into his ear until the words got into his dream.

It's a mean thing to do, but last time it was the only way to actually wake him up. So she slowly made her way to the position in where Captain Hitsugaya was sleeping, and whispered, "Aizen's back" into his ear.

"ARGGGHHHHHHH!" Captain Hitsugaya awoke with a scream, his eyes darting across the room till they fell on non-other than Rangiku Matsumoto who was on the other side of the room, smiling happily like nothing had happened.

Toshiro's wide eyes slowly turned into a scowl and the next thing that would be heard for miles, also an almost daily occurrence in the Seireitei, "MAAAATTTTSSSUUUMMMOOOTTTTOOO OOOOOOO!"

xXx

**(Soul Society Second Division Barracks)**

The last of Captain Hitsugaya's cry of anger could be faintly heard across the Second Division, the only cry you would ever hear coming out of the Second Division would be Omaeda's occasional cry of pain, hunger, etc.

Today was nothing special in the Second Division as Soi-Fon was currently training some of the _worthless _new recruits. The Second Division being a stealth and assassin one meant that it was known for it's high death rate, it was second in death-toll behind the Eleventh Division. So just about everyone there knew that safety and well... actually living was only if you were good at your job, and to be good at your job you had to have some skill in it, something that these new recruits didn't have.

During drills, without even realizing it her thought wandered over to none other than _Ichigo Kurosaki _'As much as i hate to say it, with some control, he'd make a good recruit' She thought 'Hell, i'd even swap Omaeda for him, atleast Kurosaki could get the job done' During this train of thought Soi-Fon had accidentally stopped giving orders to the new recruits, leaving some of them wondering why she stopped.

Eventually one of the recruits got the guts to ask her why she stopped for the first time in an hour, As he got close to her something was showing on her face, naturally the new recruit was too scared to notice such a thing. "Umm... C-Captain are you ok?" He asked nervously.

This snapped Captain Soi-Fon out of her thoughts, "Huh? Oh right, Everyone 200 more pushups!" She roared at all the new recruits.

xXx

**(Soul Society Twelfth Division Barracks)**

Both Mayuri and Nemu Kurotsuchi were busy working to find out what happened to all of the hollow disappearances in Karakura Town as of late. After many hours of work they had come up with... Nothing. There wasn't any leads on the disappearances of the Hollows, and Ichigo Kurosaki's overflowing reiatsu.

Who knows maybe they might come up with a lead in the next day _*Hint, Hint*_

xXx

**(Karakura Town)**

Both Ichigo and Tia had their normal morning ritual, which included Ichigo now stopping Goat Chin from getting a picture of the two together; something which Tia happily joined in at making the Old Man suffer for his attempts.

They also took their daily showers, with Tia going first, because of the saying 'Ladies first' and also because of the fact that Ichigo didn't want to be rude.

Both Karin and Yuzu are comfortable with Tia staying with them for the time being. The main reason they're comfortable with it is because anyone with a brain would notice that Ichigo is visibly happier than usual, so anyone that could make their brother happy was A-Grade in their books.

After getting dressed and eating their breakfast, Tia and Ichigo set off on another day at school, getting there it was the same routine as usual; Keigo would come running out screaming something along the lines of "ICCHHHHIIIIIIIIGGGGOOOOO" And in result he would end up getting close-lined by Ichigo almost instantaneously, Ichigo would then greet both him and Mizuiro before walking into the classroom with Tia following close behind.

Walking inside the classroom, it was the same story, Orihime would be in the middle of getting groped by Chizuru, while Tatsuki would be attempting to keep Chizuru away from Orihime. Chad would grunt a "hello" in Ichigo and Tia's direction while Uryu just pushes up his glasses slightly.

Today was going to be one of those boring days were nothing happened at all not even a single hollow attack as all, of the hollows have disappeared recently so Ichigo and the gang didn't have to run out of the classroom for a toilet brake only to return 30 minutes later, none of that had happened recently, it made everything almost too relaxing.

After a boring day at school, both Tia and Ichigo decided to go down to Urahara's Shop, so they could get another gigai for Tia, with different looks so Soul Society wouldn't get suspicious.

When they got there Urahara already knew what they were there for and had already made a new gigai for Tia. The new gigai was the same hight as Tia's last one instead of her usual golden blonde hair it was replaced with long flowing brown hair reaching down to the waist, the eye's also took on a more earthy colour, and to top it off Tia's breast size was reduced slightly, according to Urahara it was to help avoid suspicion.

After the purchase of the new gigai, Urahara offered tea for the two of them so they could have something to drink while they thought of how to convince Soul Society that Tia's presence had nothing to do with spirits.

xXxXxXx

_Chapter End_

_(Next Chapter: A new backstory and Research & Development finally discovers something)_

_Sorry for the long wait everyone, The next chapter should be out hopefully before Christmas! :)_

_-AT_


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